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Europe's Software Problem - Bert Hubert's writings
a day ago
- Europe's communication relies on Chinese hardware and US platforms, leading to over-dependence.
- European companies rarely create consumer-oriented free software due to lack of vision and regulatory constraints like GDPR.
- Free software models rely on rent-seeking or surveillance, which European companies cannot easily adopt.
- Current attempts (outlawing data transfers, interoperable standards like Joyn) have failed to produce competitive European alternatives.
- The solution is to develop compelling free software funded by the EU, leveraging existing talent and open source.
- Major challenge: existing funding mechanisms (public procurement, Horizon Europe) are not suited for fast-paced consumer software development.
- New structures like contests or agencies (e.g., SPRIND) are needed to stimulate innovation.
De cloud is geen paracetamolfabriek - Bert Hubert's writings
a day ago
- The event 'Digital Sovereignty: Sense or Nonsense' at Clingendael Institute discussed Europe's cloud position.
- The US cloud providers (Amazon, Google, Microsoft) offer extensive services, but European alternatives are often cheaper and viable.
- Unlike the paracetamol factory analogy, European cloud services can be cost-effective, though specific advanced services like distributed databases are lacking.
- Cloud costs often end up higher than promised due to complex pricing and expensive specific services.
- Europe still has a competitive IT industry, but urgent action is needed to avoid losing relevance to US cloud giants.
- The bulk of cloud services are within European capability, and high US prices create opportunity for European providers.
Is dit een soevereine cloud? - Bert Hubert's writings
a day ago
- American cloud providers cannot offer sovereign solutions due to US surveillance laws and sanctions, regardless of server location.
- European alternatives often overstate their capabilities, lacking equivalent services to major providers like AWS or Azure.
- True sovereignty requires confidentiality, availability, and control over data and services.
- US companies' promises like air-gapped clouds or source code escrow are ineffective due to dependency on US updates or complexity.
- Organizations can reduce reliance on Big Tech by hosting their own servers or using simpler European hosting.
Germany's richest man takes on Big Tech
17 days ago
- Schwarz Digits, part of the Schwarz Group, opens a new headquarters in Bad Friedrichshall, Germany, as a statement to compete with Big Tech.
- The Schwarz Group, founded by Dieter Schwarz, is a secretive retail conglomerate with significant revenue, expanding into digitalization and cloud services.
- Schwarz Digits aims to provide independent IT and cloud solutions for Europe, reducing reliance on US and Chinese technology, and has secured major contracts.
- The company is investing heavily in infrastructure, including an €11 billion data center, to attract IT talent and promote Germany as an innovation hub.
- Heilbronn is transforming into a knowledge city through initiatives like the Dieter Schwarz Foundation, education campuses, and an AI innovation park (IPAI).
- Despite smaller revenue compared to giants like Amazon, Schwarz Digits is confident in its long-term role in Europe's digital sovereignty and AI development.

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european tech

Europe's Software Problem - Bert Hubert's writings

De cloud is geen paracetamolfabriek - Bert Hubert's writings

Is dit een soevereine cloud? - Bert Hubert's writings

Germany's richest man takes on Big Tech